Bangladesh hires South African coach ahead of World Cup

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed South African Malibongwe Maketa as the assistant coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team. He will serve on a two-year contract from October 2026 to November 2028.

The BCB has made changes to its coaching staff ahead of the World Cup to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. With the new responsibility, Maketa will soon join the Bangladesh team in the United Arab Emirates, where the Tigers will play a Test match against Afghanistan.

The 46-year-old South African will work as an assistant to national team head coach Phil Simmons. Earlier, Mohammad Salahuddin served as the assistant coach of the Bangladesh team for about a year and a half. He was recently given the responsibility of the head coach of the High Performance (HP) unit.

Although Maketa's career as a player is not very rich, he has a long experience in coaching. He has played one List 'A' match in 2007. The coach, who holds a level-four certificate from Cricket South Africa (CSA), has been involved in coaching for more than two decades.    

He has served as assistant coach of the South Africa national team, head coach of the South Africa 'A' team, head coach of the Under-19 team, head coach of the national academy, and head coach of the Warriors franchise.

Apart from this, Maketa was a member of South Africa's coaching staff in the 2019 ODI World Cup held in England. He has also played an important role in developing the country's emerging cricketers.

After being appointed as the assistant coach of the Bangladesh team, Maketa said, "I am delighted to take on the responsibility of the assistant coach of the Bangladesh national team. I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence that the Bangladesh Cricket Board has placed in me. I look forward to making a positive contribution to the team's success."